


Exulted in the Scene (As Long as I am With You)

by DoomedTemperament



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-05 03:52:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11569719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoomedTemperament/pseuds/DoomedTemperament
Summary: He knew that it would sting to not be able to see Mayuzumi’s put-upon expressions as he tried to mask his emotions, to not be able to hear his voice and the note of fondness that only Akashi could detect, to be able to like (and perhaps, eventually, even love) someone so far away.But he hadn’t anticipated how much it would sting.(Based on a tumblr prompt: "Pls write mayuaka reuniting after a long period of time. Or a lazy day together. Or just anything mayuaka. Pls I'm desperate for content.")





	Exulted in the Scene (As Long as I am With You)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm basing some of this fic off of personal experience, which is why I chose two and a half months as the "long period of time." OTL
> 
> Title is taken from "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit.

“Ah, and where are you headed?”

Akashi turned his head, switching his gaze from the dining car window to look at the older lady sitting across him. Outside, it appeared as though the trees were rushing past them, though in reality it was the opposite- the train tended to make reality bend, if only just a bit.

“Tokyo,” He said, putting on a charming smile.

The old woman nodded with a smile of her own.

“A young man headed across the country during one of the long weekends… you wouldn’t happen to be visiting someone special, would you?”

Akashi glanced back out the window.

“Something like that.”

“If I may pry,” The woman continued, “What is she like? For such a young man with the air of regality around him, she must be someone special.”

Akashi huffed to himself in amusement.

“She’s… different than any girl I’ve met.”

 _Because he’s not a she,_ Akashi thought to himself, though he didn’t say that part out loud.

“She… normally pretends to be stoic and uncaring, but there’s a smile that I like to think I’m the only one privileged to see… And she’s, ah…” Akashi paused to find a good set of words, “Invested in alternative literature.”

“Ah, the studious type. I expected as much.”

Akashi struggled not to let a laugh slip out. Studious wasn’t exactly the right word of Mayuzumi, but Akashi wasn’t going to correct her.

“I hope you two have a pleasant reunion,” The lady continued, with stars in her eyes, “I remember when I was your age…”

Akashi partially tuned out at that point, offering quiet hums and nodding at appropriate times as the lady told the story of how she and her husband met decades ago.

He watched the landscape pass through the window, and smiled contentedly.

\---

**Two and a half months ago.**

On graduation day, Akashi had guessed that his so-called “pestering” after the events of the winter cup would either result in Mayuzumi getting irritated with him and never leaving a forwarding address (unpleasant, but unlikely) or in Mayuzumi begrudgingly accepting his peace offering (much more pleasant, and more likely.)

He hadn’t, even in his wildest dreams, imagined that he’d be pressed up against a tree in the Rakuzan courtyard, getting kissed more and more fervently with every passing second.

(Not that he minded.)

Mayuzumi’s hands were tightly fisted into Akashi’s blazer as if _he_ was the one actively having his world rocked, and when he pulled away, Akashi noticed that his arms seemed to shake a bit.

“Mayuzumi-san--”

“Don’t.”

Akashi peered at Mayuzumi, who had turned his head away and thus couldn’t have his expression read.

“Don’t say it.”

“You don’t know what I was going to say.”

“You were going to say something like ‘I’m going to miss you, please let me stay in touch,’ weren’t you?”

Akashi embarrassedly stared at the ground.

“I had planned on saying that before you kissed me within an inch of my life, yes.”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Mayuzumi scoffed.

“You don’t?”

“That’s just going to make saying goodbye worse, damn it.”

Akashi raised an eyebrow, quickly sneaking a glance around to make sure nobody had witnessed their display of affection.

“Where are you going to after this?”

“A cafe.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Mayuzumi stayed silent.

“Why do you want to say goodbye?” Akashi tried to ask.

This time, Mayuzumi answered.

“Because I know it wouldn’t work for us.”

Akashi sighed, and grasped Mayuzumi’s hands which had loosened their grip.

“You can’t know unless you try. And don’t you think it would be better to try and know than to never try and never know?”

Mayuzumi finally looked up at Akashi, and Akashi could see his features flash in rapid succession- confusion, anger, understanding, acceptance.

“You’re not going to let me leave, are you.” It wasn’t actually a question.

Akashi smiled.

“Show me the way to the cafe.”

\--

The train arrived at the station roughly half an hour late. There had almost been an altercation on board, and the rest of the train was somewhat crowded once he had left the dining car, but Akashi had managed to keep his composure through the last stretch. Such was tradition, he supposed.

He wasn’t sure what to expect once he saw Mayuzumi waiting for him on one of the benches- knowing his personality, and the fact that they were in a public place, there would be no tearful reunion. He guessed that, at most, he would get a semi-fond smile, and perhaps Mayuzumi would take his hand once they were out of the area as they waited to go back to his apartment. 

Which is why, when Mayuzumi approached him and gave him a bone-crushing hug, Akashi was more than a little bit startled.

“What are you--”

“Don’t ruin the moment.”

Akashi wasn’t used to having all of his pre-planned interactions shattered, so he found himself at a loss for what to do. Several pairs of eyes turned towards them, and Akashi tried to pay them no mind. Shortly after, Mayuzumi pulled away and motioned for Akashi to follow him out of the station.

“I’m surprised. I didn’t think you would be so… affectionate,” Akashi said once they were done making a spectacle of themselves.

“It’s been over two months since I’ve been around you. I’m not totally incapable of missing you, you know.”

Akashi smiled.

\---

**One month ago.**

It wasn’t the same, talking through text and social media messaging. Akashi had thought he knew what he was getting into when he had badgered Mayuzumi into keeping contact- despite Mayuzumi’s lack of social tact and stubbornness (though Akashi supposed that he had a stubborn streak too… well, maybe that was an understatement) Akashi had managed to wear him down, and they agreed that they would continue to talk to each other even as Mayuzumi entered his university years. Akashi knew it would be different, having miles and miles between them instead of the convenience of sharing a gym and being within each others’ radius constantly. He knew that it would sting to not be able to see Mayuzumi’s put-upon expressions as he tried to mask his emotions, to not be able to hear his voice and the note of fondness that only Akashi could detect, to be able to like (and perhaps, eventually, even love) someone so far away.

But he hadn’t anticipated how _much_ it would sting.

The communication was enough to soothe some of the pain; it wasn’t as though they could never talk to each other, distant enough to strain their… whatever it was that they had. But not being able to see Mayuzumi when he wanted, to be affectionate when he wanted, to feel the physical distance in his heart, was something that an internet connection could never fully solve.

One day, Akashi decided to bring the fact up.

\---

_“--And I don’t think that he understands how--”_

“Mayuzumi-san.”

_“...I’m still not used to you calling me that.”_

“Do you ever feel like this isn’t enough?”

_“What do you mean?”_

“I mean… this. This arrangement. Not being able to see each other.”

_“...”_

“...”

_“...It hurts, sometimes. I try not to think about it.”_

“I think I think about it too much.”

_“That’s not my fault.”_

“No, but I’d like to stop thinking about it for a while.”

_“You can always--”_

“I want to see you again.”

_“I can’t do that. I’m not at Rakuzan anymore.”_

“What if I were to come to you?”

_“You wouldn’t do that.”_

“I have the money to make the arrangements. I have the time. And if not, I can make time.”

_“Are you saying you’d skip class for me?”_

“Of course not.”

_“...”_

“...”

_“We can talk about it more tomorrow, I guess.”_

“Alright.”

_“Goodnight, Akashi.”_

“Goodnight, Chihiro.”

\---

“This is where you’re living now?” Akashi asked, surveying the room. It was, unsurprisingly, sparsely decorated, without much to make it stand out aside from the small bookshelf (which, against Akashi’s expectations, was not filled with light novels, but rather more traditional literature) and a desk with a few pictures framed on it.

“Yeah. It’s not much, but I don’t need much anyway.” Mayuzumi said, sounding a bit uncomfortable.

Akashi stopped to glance at the desk, smiling when he looked at the pictures.

There was a large frame, which had a picture of what Akashi assumed was his family; A taller woman with the same silver-gray hair as Mayuzumi, though sporting a smile rather than an uninterested expression. Another frame, with a picture of a field of flowers (had Mayuzumi taken that photo? Akashi would have to ask later); And a final, smaller frame, which appeared to be more well-kept than the other two, with a clipping from a youth sports magazine.

More specifically, a picture of the Rakuzan basketball team.

“I didn’t take you for the sentimental type, Chihiro.”

Mayuzumi looked down at the floor. Akashi thought it was almost cute.

“If you’re going to insult where I live, you don’t have to--”

“I’m glad to be here.”

Mayuzumi looked up then, some of the discomfort on his expression fading away. After a few seconds of deliberation, Mayuzumi came to a conclusion.

“I’m glad you’re here too.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can always talk to me on tumblr at doomedtemperament.tumblr.com (or twitter @doomtemp )


End file.
